Disposable blades

[germanokelt]

I LEARNED to carve with disposables. I'm not the best but I do enjoy our hobby. Now I use Flexcut, but I still fall back on x-acto.

[mdallensr]

The carvers in our group use X-acto's a lot, mostly #11's. We use them for outlining and detail work where others might use a detail knife. The real X-acto blades are very sharp, pretty durable, and corrosion resistant, while the knock-offs aren't nearly as good. Mike

[germanokelt]

Mis-spelled X-acto. I still use them for outlining, reaching difficult places and some times for entire carving.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

I've been using disposable blades for the past 40 years. Matter of fact I buy them in bulk down at the local hardware outlet. I'll put my Old Reliable boxcutter up against just about any socalled high-quality blade anytime ...anyplace. I've tried the Xacto blades and find them unacceptable as they're just too flimsy not to mention that they're also very expensive when compared to the Contractors Package of 100 boxcutter blades for around $12. When you consider that you use both ends of those 100 that's 200 blades at less than .06 cents per blade. Also, no sharpening is involved as they're already extremely sharp especially after you strop them a couple times. Show me a "professional" knife for less than .06 cents that offers that type of performance and maybe I'll switch.

[BobD]

My main caution for people who use disposable blades is that they can snap easily! I remember the first time I snapped a box-cutter type knife...it scared the dickens out of me. Any sideways pressure on the blades can make them snap.

Since I'm a bit of a pryer with my knives, I prefer a solid blade knife.

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[rales]

As a graphics dude - I've been using #16 blades (mini skew profile) for 40 years... or I was until X-acto (and Excel) in their infinite wisdom a few years ago decided to change the design of the blade.... "Let's make it 3/16" longer - oh and let's take the shoulder off the blade which keeps it stable - and lo and behold - we have a blade that doesn't fit in our handles!!! - Let's make a zillion of em"

One of the stupidest engineering jobs ever... You would think they'd at least design a new handle for it - nope. The nice thing about the old #16s was that they were short, stable and strong.... Not near as flimsy as a #11 (or obviously the new #16). To be able to use them at all you have to grind off the 3/16" and they still rock in the handle...

Luckily there are alternatives... Swann Morton from England (Sheffield steel!) makes surgical and art blades (including the old profile #16!) - little more expensive but well worth it - much better blade than X-acto. Tons of profiles.

Look at Arts and Crafts Blades and drool... they only sell in bulk - but you do have the option of getting 50 instead of 100.

I'm told that OLFA (Japan) makes a good blade too... and those you can get at art/hobby stores. Never tried them myself and would be interested in hearing from anyone who uses them....

Strop those suckers! They'll be twice as sharp...

sorry for the rant... but these are the tools I probably use the most in my businness... I love a pencil grip, very maneuverable for detailing, lettering and final cleanups...

peace, rales

[Ron Davidson]

To me a box cutter is exactly that a boxcurtter. Just like a screwdriver is a screwdriver not a canopener.

[xsailer]

There are all kinds of tools I use for things they weren't intended for. For instance:Claw hammer to work metal instead of a Ball Peen(chips come off and imbed the chip in my face or arm), Screw driver handle instead of getting a hammer(broke screwdriver), Bandsaw instead of table saw(broke blade). I do it all the time for a variety of reasons and will in the future but if I were to use a tool for what it was made for I would probably be a lot better off. I've tried to use a boxcutter as has been suggested numerous times here on the forum. Didn't work and not nearly as good as "WHAT I'M USED TO" and I could tell it would not be safe for "ME". I guess my experience with a boxcutter is that it's amply named. Now that's not to say for others it's not a problem but continued insistence of boxcutter use has sparked much conversation among many of us carvers several times over the past several years. Not one of the folks I carve with feel safe using it to carve a complete carving. But the old saying "whatever floats you boat" plays here for sure.

Never tried a scalpel though.

I tried BLO.

[rales]

Bob,

Great subject for a new thread! We know the magic that Lynn can work with his utility knife... what other "bad uses for good tools" are there out there??? or should I say "good results of...)

rales

[AlArchie]

Hooo Boy, X-acto, "box cutters", disposable blades, fixed blade, retracts. All loved by some and despised by others. My suggestion? TRY 'EM! See if you like 'em and if you do, use 'em. If you don't like 'em, don't use 'em.

And to go a bit further into this, that "box cutter" Lynn uses is a UTILITY KNIFE! I know that's just a matter of symantics, but a true box cutter is a flat, 1/4" thick tool that retracts a single edge razor blade. Very pocketable and designed to open cardboard boxes, as the blade only extends from the corner of the handle about 5/16"; just enough to cut through a standard corrugated box.

It looks like the assigning of the term "box cutter" to the venerable utiliy knife came into vogue when the 9-11 high jackers used box cutters. And they may have actually used box cutters but for whatever reason the press showed utility knives as the culprit. Maybe the press misidentified the durn things, who knows.

I'll try to find my old BOX CUTTER, but I think it's a long way gone.

Al